A deal to host at least seven Russian grand prix in Sochi beginning in 2014 has been reached, the country’s president Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday.

“An agreement with the (sport’s) organising company has been reached,” he told investors in the Black Sea resort city, according to the state news agency Ria Novosti.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone was reportedly also in Sochi to sign the contract.

“In order to organise the work properly, we should create a management company here, in our country.  It should consist of private national companies,” Putin added.

The report said some of Russia’s biggest companies, including the state enterprise Rostekhnologii, mobile phone operator Megafon, oil company Lukoil and aluminum giant Rusal will invest in the circuit that could cost $200 million.

Nikolai Fomenko, boss of Marussia, said last month that he planned to bring the Russian sports car maker into F1 in 2012.  The company already sponsors the Virgin team.

“The signing of the agreement to stage a grand prix in Sochi will help put a Russian team in F1,” said Igor Yermilin, an official of the Russian Motor Racing Federation.

Nico Rosberg does not think his dominance within the Mercedes team this year has been well enough recognised.

Indeed, the focus of attention at the Brackley based squad in 2010 has been Michael Schumacher’s difficult return to the sport.

But the context of the seven time world champion’s struggle has been Rosberg’s 13:3 dominance in qualifying, and his 68 point margin over his famous teammate in the drivers’ championship.

Rosberg, who moved to Mercedes in 2010 after four seasons at Williams, said: “I don’t think my performance is well enough recognised.”

Schumacher’s problems this year have been explained as due to Bridgestone’s new narrower front tyres, which do not suit his driving style.

But “It’s the same for me,” 25-year-old Rosberg told the German weekly Sport Bild.

“Actually I think Michael has been able to adapt his driving style better than I have,” said the German, whose Finnish father is the 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg.

Rosberg also played down the effect of Schumacher’s three-year break since initially retiring in 2006.

“Michael has 15 years of experience in formula one,” he said.

Rosberg said his own recent experience “hasn’t advantaged me because it’s mainly been with grooved tyres, and the current front tyre is different from anything else before it”.

Mercedes’ competition boss Norbert Haug insists Rosberg’s efforts have not been undervalued within the team.

“I think it’s absolutely obvious that Nico has so far extracted what was possible from the car,” he said.  “Only on a very few occasions was this not the case.

“I think he learned a lot with Williams and if you would name one of the top guys that are currently young and experienced in formula one you would certainly mention Nico,” added Haug.

“So Nico is a very good benchmark for probably everybody in the field.”

Eddie Jordan has praised Michael Schumacher’s performance at Suzuka, despite claiming he would have fired him only two weeks earlier.

“We saw a different Schumacher in Japan,” said BBC commentator Jordan, who in 1991 gave the then pay-driving German his first drive.

Jordan continued: “He was terrible in Singapore.  It was the worst race of his I’ve ever seen.”

At Suzuka, Schumacher was once again outqualifed by his teammate Nico Rosberg, but in the race he was faster than the younger German and finished sixth.

“He couldn’t have gone on being as bad as he was in Singapore,” Jordan is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

“It was a big improvement.  In practice he was faster than Rosberg and that’s something we haven’t seen too often.

“I think he just felt comfortable.  Suzuka is a brilliant drivers’ circuit, and Michael is a brilliant driver,” added Jordan.  “I think we saw something of his old self.”

Schumacher said after the race that his true pace this year has often been clouded by inconsistencies between his car and the sister Mercedes driven by Rosberg.

“Sometimes not everything comes together as planned from the technical point of view however our link is strong enough to allow things being criticised if they don’t run as expected — and this refers to all of us,” he wrote on his official website.

“It’s important we stay united within the team.  And I am very confident about this,” added Schumacher.

McLaren or Force India have been earmarked as possible new employers for Bob Bell.

The 52-year-old Ulsterman has left Renault after a long post as technical boss, and having acted as team principal amid the crashgate scandal.

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, some insiders think he might soon reappear in Force India colours.

The Silverstone based team has been struggling recently, with some experts pointing as an explanation to the departures of James Key to Sauber and Mark Smith to Lotus.

The report also said a return to McLaren is possible, where Bell worked for 15 years as an aerodynamicist before moving to Enstone based Benetton/Renault.

“He’s certainly a very capable guy,” said Williams chairman Adam Parr at Suzuka.  “I hope he will get a job very soon.”

Sauber’s new rookie driver for 2011 has been at the team’s Hinwil headquarters this week.

Mexican Sergio Perez, 20, visited the Swiss factory for a seat fitting, ahead of his team debut at the season ending tests in Abu Dhabi next month.

Blick newspaper said the Telmex sponsored driver is scheduled to drive for two days at the United Arab Emirates capital’s Yas Marina circuit.

According to Daniel Ricciardo’s team boss this year, the 21-year-old Australian is ready to move into formula one.

Currently the reserve driver for Red Bull’s two F1 teams, Ricciardo was replaced by David Coulthard for the Suzuka race last weekend as he contended for the Renault World Series title in Spain.

He ultimately lost out to Mikhail Aleshin, a 23-year-old Russian whose prize will be a Renault F1 test in Abu Dhabi next month.

But Ricciardo is also destined for formula one, his Tech 1 team boss Simon Abadi insists.

“We’re all convinced that not only will he get into F1, but above all he’ll win there.  It couldn’t be otherwise,” he said.

Red Bull-sponsored Ricciardo is now leaving the Tech 1 team, and is tipped for a seat in the GP2 championship for 2011.

“I should be taking part in the F1 rookies tests in Abu Dhabi,” he said.  “We’ll see in the coming weeks what Red Bull has in store for me.”

In Abu Dhabi, Red Bull’s sister F1 team Toro Rosso will be running Ricciardo’s Tech 1 teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.

The minority share of the Williams team now owned by Austrian Christian ‘Toto’ Wolff is 10 per cent, it has emerged.

sThe stake bought in 2009 by the motor racing enthusiast and investor, whose girlfriend is the Scottish DTM driver Susie Stoddart, was not disclosed at the time.

But according to a report in London’s Evening Standard, based on company filings by the Oxfordshire based team, the figure is 10 per cent.

The report said Wolff is believed to have paid about $16 million for the stake, which would value the British outfit at about US $160m.

Sir Frank Williams’ stake has therefore dropped from 70 to 63 per cent, and Patrick Head’s from 30 to 27 per cent.

Wolff, 38, also owns shares in Aces Management, the driver management firm involving Didier Coton and Mika Hakkinen, as well as the F3 engine supplier HWA.

Pedro de la Rosa has vowed to catch up with his former team boss Peter Sauber at the end of the season.

The Spaniard raced with the Swiss team in 2010 until last month’s Italian grand prix, whereafter he was replaced for the last five races by Nick Heidfeld.

Sauber said he made the decision in order to gauge the true pace of the Ferrari-powered C29 car.

De la Rosa has told Spanish radio Cadena Ser this week that he will catch up with the 67-year-old after the Abu Dhabi finale “to see if it was the right decision”.

He admits that Sauber’s explanation that it was de la Rosa’s consistency that motivated the decision “hurt me”.

But he said German Heidfeld is a “good driver, but the quality all the way through the field is very close”.

39-year-old de la Rosa also admitted that the occupant of the sister car, Kamui Kobayashi, is “much better than you think”.

He also said that if he had strong sponsors, “I would still be there”.

On the three-race championship fight, de la Rosa tipped countryman Fernando Alonso “but I don’t know if that’s my brain or my heart speaking”.

He also said the layout of the Korean circuit looks “mixed”, with the tighter sections favouring the Red Bull, and the Ferrari to be better on the long straights.

Mark Webber has admitted he was happy to settle for second place at Suzuka last weekend.

Already leading the world championship before Japan, the Australian finished the race one second behind his teammate, the pole sitter and winner Sebastian Vettel.

“Sebastian drove well and deserved to win,” Webber is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint magazine.

“I knew before the start that it would be difficult to win with him in pole position.

“I have no regrets about not trying to overtake him.  I could have (tried), but I thought about the championship.  And then overtaking at Suzuka is not easy.

“At this point you cannot make mistakes,” he continued.  “The points for second place are very important and it wasn’t worth the risk.

“The most important thing is that I have increased my advantage to the ones behind,” he added.

But even though Vettel, 14 points behind Webber, is equal on points with the charging Fernando Alonso, team boss Christian Horner insists there will be no favouritism through to next month’s Abu Dhabi finale.

“It’s not correct – as we’ve always said – for us to favour one driver over the other,” said the Briton this week.

It is clear, however, that there is still some needle in the Red Bull garage, with Webber fleeing Suzuka for a helicopter to Tokyo before the team’s traditional victory photograph.

He also beat Vettel’s fastest race lap on the final tour of the race; a “mind game” that must have caused “great angst” for their bosses, according to BBC commentator Martin Brundle.

And Vettel admits he was relieved when he saw Renault’s Robert Kubica, not Webber, behind him at the start of the Japanese race.

“Nothing against Mark or the team, but it would have made my life easier,” said the German, regretting that Kubica’s wheel soon fell off.

“That (Kubica’s retirement) was of course good for the team, but for the championship I would not have objected if he would have stayed in second.”

Bernie Ecclestone is in Russia on Thursday for a ceremonial signing of a seven year formula one race contract.

Earlier, it emerged that Russian president Vladimir Putin has travelled to the resort city Sochi to approve the plans for a $200m circuit and to sign F1 chief executive Ecclestone’s race promotion contract.

But the state owned Ria Novosti news agency, and the Vedomosti business daily, said 79-year-old Briton Ecclestone is also in Sochi for the signing.

Officials of the local Krasnodar Krai authorities confirmed the reports.

The inaugural race is slated for 2014.

Confirmation of Jarno Trulli’s extended stay at Lotus next year is due before the forthcoming Korean grand prix.

That is the claim of the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, insisting that the Italian’s current teammate Heikki Kovalainen has already penned a new deal for 2011.

It was reported from Suzuka that Trulli, 36, was bullish about the future, even though it had been expected that Lotus’ 2011 lineup would have been confirmed by now.

Turun Sanomat said Finn Kovalainen – who is currently staying in Kuala Lumpur at team chief executive Riad Asmat’s house – signed his new deal on the Sunday morning of the Italian grand prix last month, but that Trulli’s salary talks were ongoing.

The report added that Trulli still hasn’t signed a contract, but that news on the driver front is sure to be announced before Korea.

Lotus has been making many announcements recently, including the termination of its Cosworth contract, an altered name for 2011 and the Red Bull technical deal.

Confirmation of the Renault engine deal is still pending.

Lotus joked about the situation after qualifying was rained off at Suzuka last Saturday, revealing that the team “has nothing to announce for the first time in several weeks”.

Williams’ decision about whether to retain Nico Hulkenberg for next season is not imminent.

While Rubens Barrichello is believed to have agreed terms for a second season with the British team, German rookie Hulkenberg’s future is less secure.

It is rumoured Williams is looking into replacing him for 2011 with Pastor Maldonado, Hulkenberg’s new successor as GP2 champion and substantially backed within Venezuela.

Barrichello admitted last month that the team was “analysing the Nico Hulkenberg situation” before scheduling an announcement about 2011.

Asked if Hulkenberg is still in favour at the Grove based team, chief executive Adam Parr answered: “Absolutely.”

But asked for details about the delayed confirmation of the team’s next lineup, he answered: “I cannot go into that,” adding that he doesn’t know when an announcement will be made.

Asked if the ‘cards are in the air’ regarding Williams’ driver lineup at present, he admitted: “I am afraid they are at the moment.”

The first win after an injury to the Mugello Valentino Rossi has had a special flavor. The 46th with Yamaha, but also demonstrate that they have finally overcome the difficult time that he had influenced in the last race of the season. With the newfound competitiveness in absolute terms for the nine times world champion this weekend is the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, waiting for him.

A very busy and important weekend for the foreseeable future: it is possible to confirm at high levels, but also to verify once and for all the health status of the injured shoulder in one of the more technical circuits and fast the whole calendar champion.

“Sunday was a truly fantastic day, “says Valentino Rossi,”get back to winning was wonderful. It ‘was one of my best victories of his entire career, the 46th with the Yamaha, I’m really happy.

Now I want to try to finish the season and are excited to get to Phillip Island which is one of the most spectacular circuits where race bikes. There are a number of years that I can not win in Australia, I would like to change that.

Many members of my team are Australians, and the audience is always very enthusiastic, so Phillip Island is always a very special race. “

Two formula one team bosses have indicated they hope Bob Bell will find accommodation after leaving Renault.

The 52-year-old Ulsterman has left the Enstone based team after a long post as technical boss, and having acted as team principal amid the crashgate scandal.

But with the departure of the French carmaker as majority owner, Renault came under new management in 2010 and Bell has now been replaced as managing director by Eric Boullier.

Bell joined McLaren as an aerodynamicist in the 80s before switching to Enstone based Benetton in 1997.

He moved to Jordan in 1999 and returned to Benetton – now Renault – in 2001 as deputy technical director, becoming technical director to replace Mike Gascoyne in 2003.

“He’s certainly a very capable guy,” said Williams chief executive and chairman Adam Parr.  “I hope he will get a job very soon.”

And Mercedes’ Norbert Haug added: “Bob did a good job and I’ve no idea what will happen.

“It’s (team principal) Ross (Brawn)’s job at the end of the day,” said the German.

Fernando Alonso has urged Felipe Massa to up his game in support of his three-race charge for the 2010 world championship.

Spaniard Alonso said in Japan last weekend that the full backing of his Ferrari teammate won’t make “a big difference” to his chances so long as he is on the pace and securing strong results.

“Having the teammate close, or not close, is not a big difference if you do well,” he had said.

But now equal on points with Sebastian Vettel and 14 behind the leader Mark Webber with three races to go, Alonso has revealed he thinks next weekend’s Korean grand prix could be “decisive for some” of the remaining challengers.

“And for me it will be important also to be able to count on my teammate Felipe,” said Alonso in Tokyo, according to Ferrari’s official website.

Massa has had a string of disappointing results recently, amid rising pressure from his team leadership to perform strongly in support of Alonso’s title bid.

Added Alonso: “I know that he will be really hoping to make up for two negative results and he has all the capacities required to return to the podium.

“What’s more, it will be very useful to work together to discover all the secrets of the new track so we can prepare our cars in the best way.  In a moment like this every detail matters to achieve our goals,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Brazilian journalist close to Massa has scolded sections of the media for speculating that the 29-year-old will be ousted by Ferrari at the end of the season.

“It takes a lot to shock me, but when you hear in the media that Ferrari are replacing him with Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi and Adrian Sutil, it makes me angry,” wrote Livio Oricchio in O Estado de S.Paulo.